Comments and critiques are welcome. Just don't be a troll, no one likes a troll.

Friday, April 25, 2008

PPLD Thing #23: Summarize your thoughts about this program on your blog.

blogging, RSS newsfeeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, online applications, video and image hosting sites, blogs, Blogger, wikis, quikies, Wikipedia, subject guide wikis, book review wikis, ALA conference wikis, library best practices wikis, Flickr, tags, mashups, Mappr, Flickr Color Pickr, Montagr, web apps, FD Toys’ Trading Card Maker, Librarian Trading Card, RSS, “Really Simple Syndication”, Bloglines, Google Reader, LinkedIn.com , social networking sites,LibraryThing, widget, Rollyo, MySpace, Facebook, Ning, Library 2.0, Learning 2.1, Del.icio.us, Technorati, Web 2.0, Google Labs, online productivity, Zoho Writer, Google Docs, Web 2.0 Awards, YouTube, Yahoo Videos, Google videos, podcast, iTunes, NPR Podcast Directory, Podcastalley.com, and Odeo’s Studio.

 

Whew! What a ride!

This has been a really good experience and I have learned a lot. Some good. Some bad. Below are the questions I'm supposed to answer to summarize this project:

 

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I enjoyed the Web 2.0 award site the best.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

I'm a one day at a time type of person but this has exposed me to some new ideas and tools that I will probably continue to use. 

3. Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

There were a couple of items that I flat out did not like when I first saw them but after revisiting some of them I will most likely incorporate them in my blog and website. I originally didn't think I would use Flickr but I plan on adding a group for sharing of family pictures and another for some of my own photos.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

The first thing I would do is not assume that everyone is computer literate. I know of some co-workers who didn't participate simply because they were unfamiliar with the computers and the Internet.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

Absolutely! I enjoyed the challenge of learning new things.

Ok, here's the my real summary....enough with the social networking already.

I understand the future of civilization is basically looking like communication without contact and libraries need to follow this path to survive but aren't we really just creating a society of hermits and recluses. Will future generations lose their ability to speak and only  communicate through text? Will we become pod people never leaving our homes to interact with the outside world? Will we hide behind a virtual avatar as protection from someone else's opinions? Wait........

I'm more comfortable communicating with the outside world through this blog than I am face to face. Have I already went over to the dark side or slipped into the future? 

.......never mind.

 

 

While I was writing this, I was listening to "Ain't No Sunshine" by The Neville Brothers. Check it out at Amazon.com.

PPLD Thing #22: Discover some useful search tools for locating podcasts.

Being an iPod owner and an iTunes user I have subscribed and unsubscribed to dozens of podcasts. Much like a RSS feed, the problem is that I love the idea of podcasts and not having to search through different websites to find the latest info but I just don't have the time to keep up with them. They pile up in my queue and I never get to listen to them.

For this exercise I did sign up for NPR's All Songs Considered podcast so we'll see how that goes.

As far as book related podcasts go, at one time I did subscribe to the podcast from Librivox.org which is a great website if you are interested in writings in the public domain. Most of the items are pre-1920's. Volunteers from around the world read and record writings, speeches and books one chapter at a time which is great because you may have a French woman reading one chapter and an English man reading the next. It's just like Crackerjacks, you never know what the prize will be in the next box. You can go to the website and search for a book and download the full recording to your PC. Or you can subscribe to their podcast and they will send you a chapter from a randomly chosen book 3 times a week starting with the first chapter and continuing to the end of the book.

Below is a sampling of what you will find:

Completed works
  1. Chesterton, G. K.. "Club of Queer Trades, The" · (readers)
  2. Chesterton, G. K.. "Innocence of Father Brown, The" · (readers)
  3. Chesterton, G. K.. "Man Who Knew Too Much, The" · (readers)
  4. Chesterton, G. K.. "Man Who Was Thursday, A Nightmare, The" · (readers)
  5. Chesterton, G. K.. "Wisdom of Father Brown, The" · (readers)
  6. Chopin, Kate. "Awakening, The" · (readers)
  7. Church, Alfred J.. "Iliad for Boys and Girls, The" · (readers)
  8. Cleland, John. "Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure" · (readers)
  9. Clifford, Lucy. "Anyhow Stories: Moral and otherwise" · (readers)
  10. Cobb, Irvin S.. "One Third Off" · (readers)
  11. Collins, Wilkie. "Moonstone, The" · (readers)
  12. Collodi, Carlo. "Adventures of Pinocchio, The" · (readers)
  13. [Italian] Collodi, Carlo. "Avventure di Pinocchio, Le" · (readers)
  14. Conquest, Joan. "Hawk of Egypt" · (readers)
  15. Conrad, Joseph. "Heart of Darkness" · (readers)
  16. Conrad, Joseph. "Lord Jim" · (readers)
  17. Conrad, Joseph. "Secret Agent, The" · (readers)
  18. Conrad, Joseph. "Typhoon" · (readers)
  19. Conrad, Joseph. "Youth, a Narrative" · (readers)
  20. Coolidge, Susan. "What Katy Did at School" · (readers)
  21. Cooper, James Fenimore. "Last Of The Mohicans (A Narrative of 1757), The" · (readers)
  22. Cooper, James Fenimore. "Spy, The" · (readers)
  23. [Dutch] Couperus, Louis. "De Dochter Van Blauwbaard" · (readers)
  24. [Dutch] Couperus, Louis. "Van Het Altijd Verliefde Godinnetje" · (readers)
  25. [Dutch] Couperus, Louis. "Van Oude Menschen de Dingen, die Voorbij Gaan" · (readers)
  26. Crane, Stephen. "Red Badge of Courage, The" · (readers)
  27. Crompton, Richmal. "More William" · (readers)

So, if you have time to listen to audio books and enjoy the classics or historical writings this site is for you.  Check it out.

 

 

While I was writing this, I was listening to "Fallen Angel" by Robbie Robertson. Check it out at Amazon.com

Thursday, April 24, 2008

PPLD Thing #21: Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos.

Exercise:
Visit PPLD's YouTube Channel and watch a video or two.

 

I had seen a lot of the old films on Comcast Channel 17 but I had not seen the commercials produced by the district. They are really done quite well. I really enjoyed the "Treasure Island" commercials.

While on the subject of videos and film, check out Jace Ford's (my nephew) college project "Infected". He was the director of photography and performed all the music for the soundtrack.

 

While I was writing this, I was listening to "People Grinnin' in Your Face" by Ruthie Foster. Check it out at Amazon.com

Sunday, April 20, 2008

PPLD Thing #20: Explore any site from the Web 2.o Awards list, play with it and write a blog post about your findings.

So many choices. I looked at a bunch of the sites both winners and nominees. I enjoyed Fuzzmail and One Sentence the most. I looked on on Cocktail Builder and found the recipe for a Sidecar Cocktail which is an awesome drink. I had one at Palapa's Surfside a few weeks ago. Zillow did not make me very happy. It estimates my home's value at $9000 less than I paid for it.

Overall there are a lot of good sites out there and they all deserved the awards and nominations that they got but as with a lot of the items I've looked at so far I'm not sure if I would use them. But now I know about them and I will remember them if I need a certain application.

PPLD Thing #19: Take a look at some online productivity(word processing, spreadsheets) tools.

This appears to be a good app. I like the concept of storing documents online and not having to e-mail versions to be edited. But....(there's always a but) I'm a Word junkie and old habits are hard to break. I guess if I had a job where I was collaborating with a group of co-workers located at different locations then I would use Zoho. But I would probably keep a copy in Word just in case.

Right now I'm undecided if I would use it on a regular basis or not. undecided

 

Side note: I wrote this using Zoho Writer but I had to cut and paste it into my blog since I am not using one of the major blog editors.

PPLD Thing #18: Check out Google Labs.

Google Mars is pretty cool and informative. I was unaware that the USSR had sent 3 probes to Mars before the USA had launched their probe.

Google Suggest does not seem new to me. I've seen a lot of search boxes make suggestions as you type.

Google Sets - I'm not sure what this is for. I guess it's good for seeing search results related to what you are looking for but don't you already get this when you do a Google search. The only difference is this shows related terms to search for instead all the related results.

I really like Google as a search engine and they do have some other pretty cool apps but none of the current lab projects really impressed me.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

PPLD Thing #17: Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 ...

Five Perspectives:

 

Call me old fashioned but there's nothing like holding a real book in your hands. The heft of it, the musty smell of the paper, that's real. The face to face interaction with the librarians to help you find that long sought after treasure.

I'm also a visual person. If the photo on the cover or the script on the spine catches my eye, I'll likely pick up the book and read the liner notes. If that interests me then I'm taking it home with me. It's the same technique your local department store uses. If they can get you to touch an item, you are more likely to buy the item. I can still remember the awe I felt as a kid standing in the middle of my hometown library and being surrounded by rows and rows of books.

I know..in the current Internet driven, give it to me now world we live and work in that people don't want to go to a library and search for information. That takes time, gas and effort.

I also understand that you can find just about anything you need to know by doing a web search (I use Google quite often myself) and libraries need to move into the virtual world to survive. So libraries do need to push their products via downloads, social web sites and online interaction with patrons but I don't think librarians should become chat room hosts in the process. There is no replacement for the face to face human contact. Even a 3D virtual reality avatar.

Coincidentally, I'm in the middle of reading the The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde which is a satirical sci-fi mystery dealing with the virtual world and literature. I'd recommend  it to anyone looking for a light and enjoyable read.

One last point, how happy will the patrons be when the network servers crash or their wireless link won't connect or when the inevitable Microsoft bug pops up at it's randomly scheduled time.

 

HAL.......is that you?

 

 

 

The Eyre Affair

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

PPLD Thing #16: Explore Technorati and discover how tags work with blog posts.


So now that you’ve been blogging for awhile, you might be wondering just how big the blogosphere is. Well, according to Technorati, the leading search tool and authority for blogs, the number of blogs doubles just about every 6 months with over 51 million blogs currently being tracked by the site. If the blogging trend continues, it is estimated that Technorati will have tracked its 100 millionth blog in just 5 months.
Yes, these numbers are astounding, but as you’ve already seen for yourselves, blogging is so easy that these publishing tools are being taken advantage of by almost every industry, including libraries.
There are a lot of new features that have been added to
Technorati, including new ways to search for blogs. You can search for keywords in blog posts, search for entire blog posts that have been tagged with a certain keyword, or search for blogs that have been registered and tagged as whole blogs about a certain subject (like photography or libraries).
Resources:
Technorati
Discover & Popular features
Exercise:
Search for a blog in Technorati and subscribe to it in your Bloglines account (RSS Feed).
OPTIONAL: If you're up for a challenge, learn how to
tag your blog posts with Technorati tags so they can join tag searches. Create a post about something. It can be anything you want and add the HTML code to the bottom to tag it as “PPLD.” You may also want to consider claiming your blog and creating a watchlist.
NOTE: When adding HTML code, you'll want to make sure you're in Blogger's
Edit HTML window. There's a lot to explore.
Technorati Tag: PPLD

 

Ok, everything above is copied verbatim from the PPLD's 23 Things website. There were so many things listed to do I just wanted you to have some idea of what I was writing about.

Blogs, blogs, blogs and more blogs. In a nutshell that's what Technorati is. It is probably the largest blog directory on the web but it is also like having cable TV...200 channels and nothing on. I have spent at least an hour searching through blog listing looking for one that caught my interest enough to subscribe. I finally found one.

Check out The Thinking Blog. I liked it because it doesn't stick to one subject or theme, it just goes with whatever comes up. A warning though the "Pictures Worth A Thousand Words" series does contain some disturbing images that may upset some individuals sensitive to depictions of world hunger and strife.

Alrighty then, I have another complaint about Technorati. I have spent another hour trying to claim my blog and have been denied regardless of how I have typed in the URL. I have searched through the support FAQs and forums and have found no answers as to why. In the discussion forums, someone will complain about not being able to claim their blog and the discussion mediator replies with "we have fixed that for you" or "you should be able to claim your blog now". There are absolutely no answers. I can only assume that their processes are so error ridden that they fix problems on the fly and don't tell the people reporting the problems how they did it so they don't look bad. I finally e-mailed them and got an auto-response that a support person would contact me soon.

Good luck to all who try to use Technorati. I hope you have a lot of patience.

 

Technorati Tags:

Sunday, April 13, 2008

PPLD Thing #15: Learn about tagging and discover Del.icio.us (a social bookmaking site)

Exercise:

  1. Explore del.icio.us. Click on bookmarks, view tags, look at user lists.
  2. Create a del.icio.us account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list.

This is an interesting site. I exported my favorites list from Internet Explorer and it worked quite easily. MSN Explorer is another matter though. You need a third party app and some inkling of where Windows hides the MSN Favorites file. I'm giving up the search for now but I'll be back.

I can definitely see how del.icio.us can be useful and will probably look into it further even though I'm not sure I want to share my favorites with everyone.

Now, where is that @##$%! Favorites file? 

Saturday, April 12, 2008

PPLD Thing #14 - Discover Ning, a customized social networking site

Exercise:

  1. Create an account in Ning and join the PPLD site
  2. Blog about the things you learned this week.

 

Ning is another social network site. It appears to be for a person to set up networks for very specific groups or subject matters such as the PPLD site. It also allows subgroups with in each network so you could break out your network into departments. It also has the bells and whistles of other network site such as forums, video, photos, blogs, etc...

Learning 2.1 was an interesting network. It was much like the 23 Things and is geared towards learning Web 2.0 and its many uses and gadgets. I'll probably go back to this site and check out the forums in more detail.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

A Grown-Up Schedule!

Talk about something that makes you happy, how about switching from a 3 nights a week work schedule where you work every Saturday to a  1 night a week schedule where you alternate Saturdays and Mondays off. As Ann, one of my co-workers, calls it, "a grown-up schedule".

Sure, I'll alternate between a one day weekend and a three day weekend and I'll have to work 4 hrs on approx. every 6th Sunday but I also get to spend a lot more evenings with Evelyn (my wife).

I really wasn't aware how much the 3 nights a week affected me but since I started the new schedule on this week I've had a much better attitude and apparently have been annoyingly happier. Apologies to my co-workers on that last one.  

To show how happy I am, check my avatar from www.meez.com.

 

meezAnimatedBodyshot300x400

 

And by the way, the background was chosen because it looks like the places Evelyn has been describing for our next vacation. Although you can bet she wouldn't let me go to the beach without supervision as long as there were girls out sunning. Maybe she won't notice them in the background.